The present invention relates to swimming apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to flipper type apparatus suitable for wearing on a swimmer's feet. The apparatus of the invention optimizes a swimmer's propulsion resulting from a given movement.
Numerous aquatic swimming aid devices have been proposed in the prior art. Several of these devices relate to foot or leg fitting flippers while others disclose upper torso suits and glove-type swimming appliances.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,934,290, 3,344,449 and 1,530,560 relate to lower body apparatus fitting over the legs of a swimmer in a mermaid-type arrangement. These patents include reference to detachable flukes and boot portions having both separable and unitary foot and leg portions.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,290, Le Vasseur, discloses a swimming system having a single fin for the feet with a large fluke and two foot openings leading to foot pockets separated by a cushion. A series of water directed openings extend rearward and outward from a line above the toe portions of the pockets diagonally through the fluke to a line near a tip of the fluke on a rearward portion of the fin. A fastening surrounds the fin near instep areas of the foot-receiving pockets. A leg sheath has a corresponding lower fastening, a cushioning divider between legs and an achilles cushion above a heel portion. A reinforced upper waist band fastens to a jacket portion with hand openings which overlie hand fins formed of flat circular plates with finger and palm cutouts mounted between two pieces of synthetic dolphin skin. The helmet with an annular neck encircling cushion completes the entire body covering with a synthetic dolphin skin exterior.
The foot fluke portion of Le Vasseur has a broad, laterally extended fluke, with a distal edge. Holes let water out of foot pockets in the foot-receiving portion. Port openings connect diagonal passageways with lower rearward ports. The foot fluke fin has a laterally extended fluke portion, which tapers outwardly and terminates in a curved distal edge. Foot-receiving pockets are divided centrally by a cushion. Openings provide access to the foot-receiving pockets in the foot mounting portion. Holes permit flow out of toe areas of pockets when feet are inserted in the pockets. A parallel row of plural port openings leads from an area of the fluke just forward of the toe through diagonal channels to rearward ports.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,449, Grilli, discloses a swimsuit in the form of a sock or bag of elasticized fabric or cloth having a tubular body tapering from one end to the other. The narrow end of the body of the swimsuit is closed forming a pocket or foot portion for the feet of the wearer. The pocket is formed with spaced perforations at opposite sides. A fin structure is attached to the pocket. The fin structure comprises a triangular-shaped body formed of two sheets to solid rubber, the sheets at the wide portion of the body being juxtaposed and secured together by adhesive and at the upper narrower portion being spaced apart providing a socket portion to receive the foot portion. The upper tapered portion is formed with spaced perforations aligned with the perforations in the foot portion, so that passages are provided across the socket portion of the fin structure. The wide portion of the body is curved at its bottom edge and indented centrally and is formed with curved laterally extending wing portions.
Hip mounted fins are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,980, wherein the fins are designed to work against the feet in dolphin kicks.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,934,290, 2,313,979 and 1,049,488 disclose glove-type swimming appliances.
French patent No. 2,149,103, Frieri et al, discloses a rubber shoe shaped as a fin or flipper and reinforced with a high elasticity element of polyester resin reinforced with glass fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,165, Murdoch, discloses a swim fin having a relatively thin, transversely bowed, nonstretched, bellied web which reversibly cups during swimming due to marginal portions flexibly secured to the front of a shoe-like member and to the inner portions of diverging inflexible forward extending ribs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,565, Iglesias, discloses a dynafin accessory for use by scuba divers having a transmission bar adaptable for being positioned adjacent a front side of a swimmer. One end of the transmission bar is secured to a shoulder support and an opposite end of the transmission bar is secured to a fin assembly. The shoulder support is mountable over the swimmer's shoulders. The fin assembly is operated by said swimmer's feet.
None of the aforementioned patents discloses any of the load-bearing, resilient frame member of substantially arcuate configuration having two relatively stiff spaced ends and a common connecting portion, the frame member being sufficiently flexible to permit bending and twisting in response to an applied load, the substantially flexible, resilient webbing juxtaposed between the end legs and secured thereto, the webbing bowing in response to an applied load, or the foot-receiving pocket in the common connecting portion of the frame member for accommodating both feet of the swimmer of the apparatus of the invention, whereby in operation the apparatus captures a pocket of water in the flexible webbing thereby distorting the shape of the frame member and the webbing and propelling the water rearward in a narrow stream as the swimmer effects upward and downward foot motion.
Although some of the aforementioned references teach the use of a porpoise tail shaped flipper as as aid to aquatic propulsion, none of these patents discloses a flipper internal construction of the type of the invention, which provides maximum propulsive benefit. Since any given shape may be constructed to be rigid or flexible, those skilled in the art have heretofore been left unaided in designing flipper-type apparatus which provides strength and flexibility in the proper regions in order to maximize the propulsion advantages achievable through their use.
The principal object of the invention is to provide swimming apparatus which greatly increases a swimmer's propulsive thrust through the water.
An object of the invention is to provide swimming apparatus of simple structure, which is used with facility and considerably increases a swimmer's speed through the water.
Another object of the invention is to provide swimming apparatus having a selectively flexible flipper tail portion to permit bowing or arching of the webbing in both the upward and downward directions thereby greatly increasing the forward thrust of a swimmer.
Still another object of the invention is to provide swimming apparatus having a construction which permits a pumping motion by a swimmer to create an efficient water jet rearward thereby increasing the swimmer's speed.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide swimming apparatus of flipper type which is sufficiently resilient to trap water within its tail portion, and with the proper hydrofoil, propel the water efficiently to the rear thereby greatly increasing the forward thrust of a swimmer through the water.